The Badger 18 changes everything. The 30 is EL34s with solid-state rectifier — tight, punchy, modern British. The 18 is EL84s with a 5Y3GT tube rectifier — spongey, saggy, with natural compression that blooms when you push it. That rectifier sag is the secret weapon: hit a chord hard and it compresses and swells like a breath. It has Vox AC15/small Marshall DNA — exactly the territory Hendrix lived in before the Plexis got massive. At 18 watts with Power Scaling, you can push it into genuine power tube overdrive at manageable volumes. The 30 is a pedal platform. The 18 wants to be the overdrive.
The Hendrix cross: Henderson pushes the amp, rides the guitar volume, keeps effects minimal — that's the Hendrix approach to gain. Landau uses the amp clean and shapes with pedals — that's the Hendrix approach to effects (Univibe, wah, Octavia). The fusion is both: push the Badger 18 into breakup like Henderson, then layer Landau-style Strymon effects on top. The AC+ replaces both the Fuzz Face and the clean boost — Channel A for transparent push, Channel B for thick overdrive. No fuzz or SD-9 — just the AC+, the amp, and the Strymons.
Hendrix's actual approach — documented from obsessive forum analysis and stage photos: mids rolled off more than people think (darkens the tone on old amps rather than scooping), treble varied by venue, bass moderate, amp volume near max with guitar volume at 75–85% to leave headroom for feedback control. He rode the guitar volume constantly.
Suhr Strat S (ML)
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Xotic AC+
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Badger 18
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FX Send
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Mobius
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Timeline
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FX Return
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Speaker
Raw / Comp Clean
Tone 01 of 05
Little Wing Clean
The clean Hendrix that people forget exists. "Little Wing" intro, "Bold As Love" arpeggios, "The Wind Cries Mary" chords. No effects. Just the Badger 18's tube rectifier sag giving natural compression and bloom to clean chords. The AC+ adds warmth and body — this is the Landau philosophy applied to the Hendrix clean vocabulary. Fingers and guitar volume do everything.
Badger 18 — Non-Master Volume Mode
Power10 (out of circuit)
Drive10 (out of circuit)
Gain4 (becomes volume)
Bass5
Middle4
Treble6
BoostOff
Mode One from the manual: "When Power and Drive are turned all the way up, they are out of the circuit. Gain becomes the volume control." This is the simplest, most direct signal path — like plugging into a vintage amp with one volume knob. At Gain 4, the EL84s are just starting to breathe. The 5Y3GT rectifier adds natural sag and compression. Mids at 4 — Hendrix kept mids lower than expected; on old circuits this darkens rather than scoops. Treble at 6 for the MLs' sparkle.
Xotic AC+ — Warm Body
ChannelA only
Gain A9 o'clock (min)
Volume A12:00 (unity)
Tone A11 o'clock (warm)
Boost swOff
AC+ as Landau's always-on buffer. Minimum gain, unity volume. Just adding subtle harmonic warmth and low-impedance drive to the Badger's input. The Tone rolled slightly warm tames the MLs' top-end sparkle into something rounder and more vintage. Guitar: Neck or Pos 4. Vol 6–7. Tone 7. Play chords with fingers, not a pick — Hendrix and Landau both finger-pick for clean tones.
Effects
MobiusBypassed
TimelineBypassed
Nothing. This is the raw tone. The Badger 18's tube rectifier sag and the AC+'s warmth are the entire sound. If you want it, the amp's spring-like character from the EL84s is already there. Let the wood and pickups speak. This is the foundation everything else builds from.
Edge / Rhythm
Tone 02 of 05
Voodoo Chile Comp
The Hendrix rhythm crunch — amp pushed to the edge, cleaning up when you back off, barking when you dig in. This is where the Badger 18's Power Scaling earns its keep. The AC+ Channel B adds mid-push and grit. Mobius Vibe underneath for that liquid, psychedelic throb. This is the rhythm tone for "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)" before the wah kicks in.
Badger 18 — Power Scaled Breakup
Power6
Drive7
Gain5
Bass4
Middle4
Treble6
BoostOff
Mode Three — Power Scaling. Power at 6 reduces wattage, letting the EL84s clip earlier. Drive at 7 (within 2 of Power per manual rule). Gain at 5 — preamp pushing, output section compressing. The 5Y3GT rectifier sag gets more pronounced as you push harder — notes bloom and swell. This is the Henderson approach — amp is doing the gain work. Bass at 4 and mids at 4 per Hendrix's documented preference for rolled-off mids. Badger manual "On The Edge" setting adapted: Power 7, Drive 8, Gain 4–5.
Xotic AC+ — Rhythm Push
ChannelB only
Gain B10 o'clock
Volume B12:00
Bass10 o'clock (cut)
Mid1 o'clock (push)
Treble12:00
Comp swHard (early breakup)
Channel B in Hard clipping mode — "yields early breakup and smooth overdrive." Low gain on B adds a light crunch layer that stacks with the Badger's own edge-of-breakup. Mid push at 1 o'clock for that cutting Hendrix chord work. Bass cut keeps the low end from getting flubby — documented Hendrix problem at Monterey when the amps couldn't keep up. Guitar: Bridge or Pos 2 (bridge+mid). Vol 8. Tone 6. Dig in for crunch, back off for clean.
Mobius — Vibe (Subtle)
TypeVibe
ModeChorus
Speed9–10 o'clock (slow)
Depth11 o'clock
Level12:00
WaveshapeLow
Low EndHigh
Headroom1 o'clock
Univibe was Hendrix's secret weapon on rhythm — subtle, slow, just adding liquid movement underneath the chords. Depth low, speed slow, barely perceptible until you switch it off and notice the tone is suddenly flat and lifeless. Timeline: bypassed or dTape at absolute minimum mix (8 o'clock, ~10%) for the slightest depth.
Fusion Lead
Tone 03 of 05
Machine Gun Lead
The awe-inspiring lead tone. Badger 18 pushed hard — the Henderson way — with the AC+ stacking both channels for maximum sustain and mid-range cut. This is the Hendrix-meets-fusion lead voice: fat, vocal, with endless sustain from the EL84 compression and AC+ gain stacking. "Machine Gun" at Fillmore intensity. Notes bloom and sing. MOSFET Boost on for extra push.
Badger 18 — Pushed Hard
Power10
Drive4
Gain8
Bass3
Middle5
Treble6
BoostON
Badger manual "Saturated Lead": Power 10, Drive 4, Bass 3, Middle 6, Treble 6, Gain 8–10. Drive set deliberately lower than Power — manual says this sounds "brighter, like a master volume amp." Power at full means the EL84s are running at maximum voltage — maximum headroom and punch. Gain at 8 drives the preamp hard. The MOSFET Boost adds "increased dynamic range and transparency" per the manual. Bass at 3 — Henderson's tight low-end philosophy. Mids at 5 rather than Henderson's 6–7, to cross toward Hendrix's lower-mid preference — the lead cuts without being nasal.
Xotic AC+ — Full Stack
ChannelsA + B (both on)
FlowA → B
Gain A10 o'clock
Volume A12:00
Tone A11 o'clock
Boost swOn (+3dB low-mid)
Gain B11 o'clock
Volume B1 o'clock
Mid2 o'clock
Bass9 o'clock (cut hard)
Treble12:00
CompHard
Both channels stacked, A feeding into B. Ch A adds warm body with a +3dB low-mid boost from the Boost switch. Ch B adds mid push, volume lift, and Hard compression for sustain. Bass cut aggressively on B — the Badger is already running high gain plus boost, so low-end must be controlled. This is Landau's drive-stacking philosophy applied to Henderson's amp-driven gain. The result: singing, sustaining lead notes with the harmonic complexity of a pushed tube amp plus the EQ sculpting of a two-stage pedal chain. Guitar: Neck. Vol 10. Tone 7. Dig in.
Timeline — Digital (Presence)
TypeDigital
Time420ms
Repeats9 o'clock
Mix10 o'clock (~18%)
Filter11 o'clock (slightly dark)
GritMin
Smear9 o'clock
Mobius: bypassed. No modulation on the lead — you want every Hz of that signal uncoloured. Digital delay for spatial depth only. Filter slightly dark so repeats don't fight the lead tone. Smear softens the delay tails into a subtle wash behind the lead. This is the Henderson approach — delay as air, not as effect.
Liquid / Vibe Lead
Tone 04 of 05
Electric Ladyland
The liquid, underwater Hendrix lead — Univibe swirling beneath overdriven amp, notes bending and swimming. "1983 (A Merman I Should Turn to Be)" territory. The Badger 18 at medium crunch, AC+ providing body, Mobius Vibe in full Chorus mode creating that phasey, watery movement, Timeline adding reverse swells that ghost behind every phrase. This is where Hendrix becomes alien.
Badger 18 — Medium Crunch
Power7
Drive7
Gain6
Bass5
Middle4
Treble5
BoostOff
Between "On The Edge" and "Crunch" from the Badger 18 manual. Power scaled to 7 for earlier EL84 saturation. Gain at 6 — enough for sustained lead notes but not saturated. EQ nearly flat with mids slightly rolled off to darken the tone in that Hendrix way. Bass back at neutral — the Vibe effect adds its own low-end movement so you don't need to push it. The tube rectifier sag here is gorgeous — notes swell and bloom naturally.
Xotic AC+ — Warm Push
ChannelA only
Gain A10 o'clock
Volume A1 o'clock
Tone A10 o'clock (dark)
Boost swOn
Tone at 10 o'clock — darker than the other presets. This Hendrix tone is warm and round, not bright and cutting. The AC+ Boost switch adds +3dB low-mid emphasis — fatness and body that feeds the Vibe effect beautifully. Light gain adds harmonic complexity for the Vibe to chew on. Guitar: Neck. Vol 7–8. Tone 5 (rolled dark). Slow bends, vibrato, let the Vibe and sag do the work.
Mobius — Vibe (Deep) + Timeline — Reverse
Mobius TypeVibe (Chorus mode)
Speed10–11 o'clock
Depth2 o'clock (deep)
Level12:00
WaveshapeMedium
Low EndHigh (fat)
Headroom11 o'clock (slightly gritty)
Timeline TypeReverse
Time500ms
Repeats10 o'clock
Mix12:00 (~30%)
Filter1 o'clock (dark)
SmearHigh
The underwater sound. Vibe in deep Chorus mode with Headroom pulled back — Mobius manual: "dial back to add grit." This gives the Univibe that saturated, dirty character of a real overdriven vintage unit. Low End set high for fat, woozy bass movement. Reverse delay at 30% mix with high Smear creates ghostly backward swells that appear after each phrase — like echoes from the future arriving too early. This is Electric Ladyland in a preset.
Full Psychedelic
Tone 05 of 05
Star Spangled Cosmos
The full trip. Everything on. Badger 18 cranked in non-master-volume mode with the MOSFET Boost — the amp is screaming. AC+ both channels stacking gain into a saturated amp. Mobius Barber Pole phaser creating an infinitely rising Shepard tone illusion. Timeline Ice with octave-up shimmer cascading into infinity. This is Hendrix at Woodstock crossed with Hendrix at the Monterey bonfire. The sound of setting fire to a guitar and the guitar setting fire back.
Badger 18 — Non-Master, Cranked
Power10 (out of circuit)
Drive10 (out of circuit)
Gain7–8
Bass3
Middle4
Treble7
BoostON
Mode One — non-master volume, Gain is your only volume control. At 7–8, both the preamp AND output section are being pushed hard. The 5Y3GT rectifier is compressing, the EL84s are saturating, the MOSFET Boost is adding another gain stage. Bass at 3 — with this much gain you need to control the low end aggressively. Treble pushed to 7 — Hendrix pushed treble to cut through feedback and effects. This will be loud. The Badger 18 is 18 watts with no attenuation in this mode. If that's too much, switch to Mode Three: Power 8, Drive 8, Gain 7.
Xotic AC+ — Saturated Stack
ChannelsA + B
FlowB → A (!)
Gain A11 o'clock
Volume A12:00
Tone A12:00
Gain B12:00
Volume B12:00
Mid1 o'clock
CompHard
Flow reversed: B→A. Channel B's 3-band EQ and Hard compression shapes the tone first, then Channel A's smoother circuit adds a second layer of saturation on top. This creates a different harmonic stack than A→B — thicker, more compressed, more sustain. Mid push from B cuts through the psychedelic wash. Guitar: Anywhere. Vol 6–10 (ride it for feedback control). Hendrix played at ~75–85% guitar volume to leave headroom for pushing to 10 for controlled feedback.
Mobius — Barber Pole + Timeline — Ice
Mobius TypePhaser
ModeBARBER
WaveshapeRAMP (rising)
Speed9 o'clock (slow rise)
DepthMax
Regen1 o'clock
Timeline TypeIce
Time600ms
Repeats2 o'clock
Mix1 o'clock (~35%)
Interval+1 Octave
SliceSmall
Blend60% Ice
SmearMax
The Shepard tone + shimmer stack. Barber Pole phaser with RAMP waveshape creates the illusion of infinitely rising pitch — a real psychoacoustic phenomenon. Meanwhile, the Timeline Ice is pitch-shifting every repeat up one octave and dissolving them with max Smear. The combined effect: your guitar sounds like it's ascending into space while the repeats cascade upward into crystalline dissolution. Play sustained single notes or chords. Let them ring. The effects build the architecture. Use the guitar's volume knob to ride between feedback-at-the-edge-of-chaos and controlled sustain. This is Woodstock Star Spangled Banner energy crossed with 21st century ambient processing. Hendrix would have killed for this rig.